Drain valve for coolers



thereto by bolts 92 Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHESTER W. METZGAZR, EASTON, PENN SYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO INGERSOLL-RANI) COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY DRAIN vALvE non coonnas Application filed December This invention relates to air coolers for air compressors but more particularly to a valve for draining the water tubes of air coolers.

One object of this invention is to construct a valve which will facilitatethe draining of all the Water passes in a multiple pass cooler simultaneously.

Another object is to construct a valve so that expansion and contraction of the tubes may take place Without placing strains upon the shell or tubes of the cooler.

A still further object is to provide a draining valve which will. permit the removal of the tubes and the tube sheets as a unit for cleaning," inspection, or repairing.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

All of the above mentioned objects are obtained by the mechanism shown'in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of so much of an air cooler as will serve to make clear the invention. i

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1 taken on direction indicated by the arrows, and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1 taken on the line 33 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings is a shell of an air cooler provided with a head 12 secured to the shell by bolts 14. A tube sheet 16 receives the ends of 35 tubes, designated according to groups, as 32,

34, 36, 38 and 40, in any suitable manner, not shown in detail since it forms no part of this invention. A water head 20 fits over the end of the tube sheet 16 and is secured The water head 20 is so formed that it is connected with each of the tubes or groups of tubes in the cooler. .The method of connecting the water tubes with a single drain tube is illustrated in Figure 2 wherein separate groups of double passes are led into each of the chambers 24, 26, 28 and 30 respectively. Assuming that tubes 34 constitute one pass of the cooler and for convenience of explanation, that each pass comprises only two tubes although each pass may the line 22 looking in the 16, 1929. Serial No. 414,418.

include any suitable number of tubes, the cooling water fromone tube will flow into the chamber 24 and leave the chamber by way of the other tube in group 34 during the normal operation of cooling the air flowing 44 on the water head 20, bear against the tube 5 sheet 16 to serve as a packing for separating the various water passes from each other and to divert the water into the proper tubes.

A hollow cylindrical extension 46 of smaller diameter than the Water head of which it'may be an integral part extends through an aperture 48 in the air head 12 and is sealed against leakage of air by the packing 50 and a gland nut 52. An extension 54 threaded onto the extension 46 as shown at 56 provides a means of securing the valve stem 58 and the integral valve member 60 in the desired assembled position. Valve stem and valve member 58 and 60 respectively are preferably formed integrally and intermediate the ends of the stem 58 is a shoulder 64. Slots 68 in the portion of the largest diameter of the valve member 60 define wings 61 for which the inner surface of the wall 70 of the extension 46 serves as a bearing.

A washer 72 placed under the shoulder 64 on: the valve stem 58 forms a seat for packing 7 4 in the bore 76 of the attached extension 54. The packing place by glandnut 78 which also serves to hold the valve and valve stem in place.

' The upper end of the valve is reduced as shown at 80.21I1d.WlIlgS 82 cooperate with a slot 84 in the drain tube to limit the rotation 74 is squeezed into *2 r. .hl

(ill

with

extension do will slide .remove the tubes and the head 16 together with the associated drain tube for inspec tion,repair or other purpose, and in such cases where suitable equipment is not available to lift the weight of both the cooling element and the water therein the load may be greatly reduced by first draining the water rom the cooler. To accomplish this type of valve contemplated by this invention, it is only necessary to turn the -valve'6O a partial revolution, as for instance one-e1ghth of a turn in the proper direction.

This causes the slots 68 to register with the ports 9:2 in the valve seat 94 and which ports are normally sealed by the wings 61. The water will then pass out of all the tubes through the passages 96 into the chambers 24-, 26, 28 and 30 through ports 92 and the slots {38 into the chamber 98, thence through the pipe 100 to the drain or suitable receptacle (not shown); vi

It will be seen that the valve and the drain tube donot interfere with free expansion and contraction on the cooling tubes and that no strainsare placed upon the shell or tubes by expansion and contraction for the in the aperture 48 and at the same'time an air-tight joint will be maintained by the packing 50 and the gland nut 52. It will also be observed that when the handle and the pipe are removed that the tubes, tube sheet and drain 'tubema be withdrawn from the u) 291 end l of the cooler (not shown) as a unit, and if desired, without first draining the cooling water from the tubes. This is desirable in some cases, particularly when it is contemplated to inspect the apparatus to ascertain causes and sources of leakage, d eliminates the necessity of refilling the cooling system after its removal from the casing.

I claim:

1. In a multi pass air cooler the combination of a shell, an air head forming a closure for the shell, a nest of watertubes comprising a plurality of water passes in the shell, a tube sheet for supporting said tubes, a drain tube in communication with each of said passes and having ports therein, means between the tube sheet and the drain tube for separating the passes, a valve for simultaneously opening and closing all of the passes,-a stem for the valve, slots in the valve adapted to registe r with the ports in the drain tube when the valve is open, 'a passage communicating with the slots in the valve'for leading water from the tubes to a drain pipe, packing means leakage or one section of the'cooler to another.

forming an air-tight slidable joint between the drain tube and the air head, means for preventing leakage of water past said valve stem, and means for securing the valve and valve stem in position.

2. In a multi-pass air cooler, the combinattion of a shell, an air head forming a closur e for the shell, a nest of water tubes comprising a plurality of water passes in the shell, a tube sheet for supporting said tubes, a drain tube in communication with each of said passesand having ports therein, means between the tube sheet and the drain tube for separating the passes, a valve for simultaneously opening and closing all of the passes, a stem for the valve, slots in the valve adapted to register with the ports in the drain tube when the valve is open, a passage com1nunieating with the slots in the valve for leading water from the tubes'to a drain pipe, packing means forming an air-tight slidable joint between the drain tube and the air head, means for preventing leakage of water past said valve stem, means for securing the valve and valvestem in position, and means for limiting the amount of movement of the valve, said valve being adapted to prevent byepassing .of cooling water from 3. In an air cooler, the combination of a shell and cooling tubes therein, a water head for the tubes having a plurality of chambers, each chamber bcingin communication with distinct groups of tubes,.a drain tube integral with the water head for draining water from the chambers, and a valve in the drain tube for placing all the chambers in communica tion with the drain tube.

4. In an air cooler, the combination of a shell and cooling tubes therein, a water head for the tubes having a plurality of chambers,

eachchamber being in communication with distinct groups of tubes, a drain tube integral with the water head for draining water from the chambers, and a valve in the drain tube and guided thereby for placing all the chambers in communication with the drain tube.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

CHESTER W. METZGAR. 

